Author: Ogata Gekkō (尾形月耕).
Subject: Nakamura Kensuke Masatoki (中村勘助正辰).
Series: Forty-seven pictures of loyal retainers (Gishi yonjūnana zu, 義士四十七圖).
Number: 20/48.
Genre: musha-e (武者絵), chūshingura (忠臣蔵).
Size: large (ōban, 大判) 35,4cm x 24cm (13,93 x 9,44 inches).
Publisher: Matsuki Eikichi (松木平吉).
Period: c. 1902.
Trimmed: no
Backed: yes
Code: OGK01005
Condition: the print is in good condition. The colors are clear and vivid. There are no noticeable stains nor halos.
There are no signs of damage, folds, or repairs. However, it has been backed.
This print depicts the warrior Nakamura Kensuke Masatoki, taken from a version by Ogata Gekkō dedicated to the events of
the forty-seven loyal retainers.
It is a second edition produced in February 1902 by the publisher Matsuki Eikichi, released following the first
edition produced in 1896 by the publisher Takegawa Risaburō (武川利三郎). It distinguishes itself from the first edition by some
details, such as the color of the sleeves (purple in the first edition) and the scabbard of the sword.
He was born in 1659 from a retainer of the Matsudaira (松平) family.
In 1676 he became the son in law of Nakamura Shōsuke (中村庄助), a retainer of the Asano (浅野) family of the Akō (赤穂) domain.
In the same domain he served as scribe and horse attendant, eventually succeeding to the family headship in 1682.
He was in Akō in 1701 when his lord Asano Naganori (浅野長矩) engaged in the vendetta against Kira Yoshinaka (吉良義央) and even
after the surrender of Akō castle he continued working in the domain, handle some minor affairs.
During the raid on the Kira residence, he joined the team assigned to the rear gate., primarily fighting those Kira's retainers
who were fleeing from the mansion.
After that Kira was murdered, all the retainers surrendered then sentenced to death by seppuku, the ritual suicide.
He performed seppuku on February 4 1703, at the age of 45, assisted by Ōshima Hanpei (大島半平) from the Matsudaira faimly as kaishakunin
(介錯人), the person in charge of beheading the condemned after this has cut his belly.